CTR-350 with 1.7.3 firmware / CDU-680 problems?

ECU_Pirate · EVDO Newbie Joined: 11 Jan 2008 Posts: 3

Greetings all,

All apologies if this has already been noted elsewhere in the forums - I couldn't find any similar posts with this specific issue...

I setup a WiFi hotspot rig for my dear old moms using the CTR-350 and a CDU-680. With the aid of an externally mounted Wilson Trucker dual-band antenna from 3Gstore, I was able to pull in a solid, consistent -90-80 db signal that wouldn't have been possible otherwise.

I would have been content to leave the setup like it was, except that the WiFi signal from the CTR-350 wasn't quite reaching far enough through the metal walls. So, I upgraded the CTR-350 to the 1.7.3 firmware from 3Gstore and hung another WiFi router off (with a much stronger signal and an external antenna) the WAN/LAN port of the CTR-350 to get the added WiFi range that I needed. Everything seemed fine for the next few hours, so I left the rig as it was thinking everything was copasetic.

I'm now hearing that the connection seems to be dying overnight just about every night, and occasionally during the day as well, and the only thing that seems to get things going again when that happens is rebooting the router. I've troubleshot this the best I can over the phone, and it doesn't sound like there's any reason this should be happening...

I'm not blaming any single piece of equipment or the beta 1.7.3 firmware - since I'm not there to personally troubleshoot this, there may be something else coming into play that I'm not aware of. I'm just curious if anyone else has experienced anything similar with a similar setup, and if they've been able to find a resolution?

Thanks in advance,
ECU_Pirate

byrd · EVDO User Joined: 21 Dec 2007 Posts: 48

There are two recent threads:
http://www.evdoforums.com/thread7921.html
http://www.evdoforums.com/thread7939.html

There seem to be a couple variations of the problem. I just reflashed my CTR350 back to firmware version 1.7.1 in hopes that this might help identify the issue. We'll see what happens...

Similar to you, I eventually plan to connect a second Wi-Fi switch to the CTR350's in order to extend my network's range. Since I don't have the hardware yet, and am not in any real rush, I figure that if it's a firmware issue, I'll live with the old version until things are resolved.

ECU_Pirate · EVDO Newbie Joined: 11 Jan 2008 Posts: 3

Let me know how it goes. If you see a definite improvement in stability after switching to the 1.7.1 firmware, then pass it along and I'll know not to go off into the weeds on this one.

Otherwise, if it sounds like I'm the only one noticing stability issues with 1.7.3, then I may be reduced to troubleshooting things like too much RF interference from the other router being so close, dirty power source, and some other near-zero possibilitiy scenarios...

Cheers
ECU_Pirate

byrd · EVDO User Joined: 21 Dec 2007 Posts: 48

I'll let you know what I find out. So far, so good, but it's only been 6 hours. I AM, however, still having problems renewing my DNS settings after "Disconnecting" and "Connecting" from the Status page of the CTR350.

At the risk of being redundant (I posted this on one of the other thread, but haven't yet gotten a response), are you able to duplicate this small test (I get the same results with BOTH 1.7.1 and 1.7.3 firmware):

1) Confirm ability to view web pages in browser
2) Go the Cradlepoint Admin>Status page.
3) Confirm that IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, Primary DNS Server, and Secondary DNS Server are all set properly.
4) Click "Disconnect", and wait for all server settings to go to 0.0.0.0
5) Click "Connect"
6) See that Primary and Secondary DNS both REMAIN set to 0.0.0.0 after all the other info is updated again.
7) Confirm that web pages can no longer be viewed in a web browser, BUT web sites CAN still be pinged using the command prompt.

The above procedure seems to be a way to manually duplicate the problem that I've been experiencing. Somehow the DNS settings get lost, and once that occurs, the only way to renew them is with a router reboot.

I'm just wondering if this happens on all CTR350s or just mine? If this happens on all CTR350s, then I'd say that it may be firmware issue with the router's "Connect" function.

I think I'm also going to try the above test with the 1.7.0 and 1.6.0 firmware to see if I see the same results.

ECU_Pirate · EVDO Newbie Joined: 11 Jan 2008 Posts: 3

Sorry - the rig I'm troubleshooting right now is about 7 hours away by car, so I won't be able to do the test you mentioned. However, the behavior you've observed in yours sounds interesting, and does smell a bit like a firmware bug - especially since it seems repeatable for you.

Since you've found a way to recreate the issue, it should be a big help to the Cradlepoint developers in finding and fixing the bug if it in fact turns out to be a cradlepoint issue. I'll keep an eye on your threads to see how the saga plays out for you Smile

byrd · EVDO User Joined: 21 Dec 2007 Posts: 48

ECU_Pirate, I posted my lasted update in a new thread.

Here's the link:
http://www.evdoforums.com/thread7953.html

Did you have your mother's network set up to use WPA encryption? If so, maybe our two issues do have something in common.